Romania’s disregarded minority? : A study of the challenges of the Rroma people

Sammanfattning: The Rroma people have a complex and highly contested narrative which is partly due to the fact that the Rroma are a homeless society, a society with no borders, no economy, no territory but with an origin. The perception of ethnicity itself is based on subjective interpretation and not based on some kind of scientific sociological truth. Those that apply their notions of ethnicity on a group may do so based on particular aspects of physical appearance or differential culture customs.    This research draws heavily on the theories of two authors, Charles Taylor and Will Kymlicka in order to answer my research question: To what extent can the challenges of the Rroma people in Romania be explained by Kymlicka and Taylor’s theories? What rights if any do they have?   Despite the fact that Romania is a democracy and that all people have the fundamental human rights, one can easily see the big disparities that exist between the Rroma ethnical group and the Romanian society. Members of a culture that has failed to be recognized will feel uprooted and it is important to give the recognition that a minority or unprivileged group is due and thereby acknowledge the fact that they have a cultural identity with their own traditions and aesthetic history. People should have the right to express their ethnic culture without any fear from persecution and prejudice from the society they live in.